Public helps Hollister police identify store burglar

Hollister police say assistance from the public helped them identify the man suspected of stealing liquor from a grocery store last month.

On May 23, a man was caught on surveillance footage entering the Safeway on Tres Pinos Road and then carrying out several bottles of liquor a few minutes later.

Police released images from the footage and sought help from the public in identifying the man.

Monday, officers linked the theft to 25-year-old Alfredo Gonzalez of San Juan Bautista. Gonzalez already was in custody at the San Benito County Jail in connection with an unrelated matter. Charges of commercial burglary have been added.